NHTSA Complaint #11064857 — 2017 RAM 1500

2017 RAM 1500 - VEHICLE'S ELECTRONIC CONTROLLED LOCKING TAILGATE FAILS TO SECURE WHEN VEHICLE IS PUT IN MOTION ALLOWING TAILGATE TO FALL OPEN WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 14K MILES AND CURRENTLY HAS 23K MILES. TAILGATE HAS FALLEN ON 9 OCCASIONS IN THE 6 MONTHS/9K MILES I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE. ALSO POTENTIAL TO OCCUR WHILE VEHICLE IS PARKED. FIAT-CHRYSLER WAS CONTACTED ON 24 JANUARY 2018 AND AFFIRMED THEY HAVE NO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSBS) OR RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE TO DATE. HOWEVER, INTERNET RESEARCH REVEALED "NUMEROUS" COMPLAINTS IN FORUMS AND VIDEOS ON THIS OCCURRING ON 2013 - 2017 MODELS. SOME COMPLAINANTS INDICATE DEALERSHIPS NOT AWARE OR UNABLE TO DEDUCE CAUSE. FURTHER INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES A FAULTY TAILGATE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY, (A METAL TAB ON ASSEMBLY WHICH SERVES AS A LEVER-STOP WHICH ALLOWS TAILGATE TO SECURE IS BREAKING OFF OF ASSEMBLY PLATE AND PREVENTING FULL ENGAGEMENT OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM BETWEEN TAILGATE AND BED). SOME COMPLAINTS REVIEWED ONLINE INDICATE DEALERS REPLACED LOCKING TAILGATE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY (IN APPLICABLE CASES, UNDER MFR WARRANTY) AND THE MATTER WAS RESOLVED. PROBLEM CREATES POTENTIAL FOR LOSING CARGO WHILE IN MOTION, FALLING TAILGATE STRIKING A PERSON, CAUSING STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, OR, BEING SUCH A VOLATILE OCCURRENCE DUE TO WEIGHT OF TAILGATE, ALARMING AN UNSUSPECTING DRIVER DIVERTING ATTENTION, CAUSING PANIC AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. FIAT-CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE REP RECOMMENDED ON 25 JANUARY 2018, THAT I, AS THE CUSTOMER, FILE A COMPLIANT WITH NHTSA.